Sun Bears Have Made a Return to Chester Zoo

Two
bears - a female named Milli (8) and
a male called Toni (11) – have
arrived in Chester from the Rare Species Conservation Centre in Kent. They are
the first sun bears to live at the zoo since 1976.

Previously the pair were rescued as cubs by conservationists working in
Cambodia after their mothers were killed by poachers and they were found as
mistreated pets, before moving to the UK in October 2013.

Once settled into their new home in Chester, zoo chiefs hope the bears will
play an important role in the European breeding programme for the vulnerable
species.

Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals at the zoo,
said:

“Several years ago these bears were rescued by a conservation team from
Free the Bears working in Cambodia. Toni,
whose mother was killed by poachers, was seized from an illegal wildlife trader
while Milli was being kept as a pet
and was badly mistreated. Happily they are both now well on the way to recovery
and we’re thrilled that we’ve been specially selected to work with them and
continue with their care.

“The bears’ new home will very closely mimic the diverse habitats of their
native South East Asia, giving them plenty of trees to climb and places where they
can forage for fruits, berries and nuts. Hopefully they’ll quickly feel very
settled here and will one day go on to have cubs.

“Sun bear numbers are unfortunately rapidly declining as a result of
deforestation and poaching but we hope that with our new arrivals acting as fine
ambassadors for the species, they’ll also help us to highlight the vital
research and conservation efforts needed to protect the species in the wild.”

Sun bears
are one of the world’s rarest species of bear and can be found in declining populations
in Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and
Borneo. However, the species is now thought to be extinct in Singapore and
Yunnan, where they were once found in large numbers, and is on the edge of
extinction in Bangladesh.

A combination of large-scale deforestation, legal and illegal logging and the
conversion of natural forests to oil palm plantations has led to sun bears
being classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species is also illegally exploited for its
body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicines – although scientific
evidence has shown they have no medicinal value.
Malayan sun bear facts

Scientific name: Helarctos malayanus

Sun bears are the smallest of the world’s eight
living species of bear

Sun bears get their iconic name from the yellow
or orange crescent marking on their chest, which legend says resembles the
rising or setting sun. The species is also known as the ‘honey bear’ due to its
love for honey - which it extracts by using its famously long tongue

The Malay name for the tree-loving sun bear mean “he who
likes to sit high”

Sun bears use their long tongue to eat termites
and ants, beetle larvae, bee larvae, honey and a large variety of fruit
species, especially figs

They have powerful jaws that can tear open trees
in search of insects to eat

Their short black fur helps then to keep cool in
hot climates

They have big paws with large claws and hairless
soles to help them climb